At CHCI we used theme enrichment to break up the day to day routine of the chimpanzees. The celebration of holidays, birthdays and weekly theme days, with the non-permanent forms of enrichment, helped us make the chimpanzees days more interesting. The windows were decorated for the holidays, crepe paper and balloons were hung up, and the chimpanzees received wrapped presents and special food treats (examples include red day, musical toys day, beach day, etc.).

Some of the ways we made the days special at CHCI:

Cleaning Day

We provided plastic brushes, buckets of soapy water, rubber boots, and sponges. The human caregivers smeared mustard or ketchup on the walls or windows of the chimpanzees' enclosure and placed the brushes, buckets of soapy water, rubber boots and sponges in the chimpanzee enclosure. The chimpanzees used the items to clean their enclosures as they had seen their human caregivers do every day.

Paper Party

Human caregivers provided various types of paper (colored, white, paper towels, toilet paper, shredded paper etc.) inside of the chimpanzees' enclosures. We spread the paper throughout the chimpanzees' enclosure. The chimpanzees colored on the paper, used it for wadges, and nested with it.

Cardboard Structures

The human caregivers stacked cardboard boxes in the chimpanzees' enclosure to make forts, cities, trains, etc. Other enrichment items could be placed in or on the boxes.

Sheet Forts

Human enrichers hung the sheets throughout the enclosure. This provided the chimpanzees with areas in which they hide.

Hide Objects in Bags

Enrichers placed the enrichment items - for example toys, magazines, clothing, shoes) inside bags. They often placed bags within other bags and then placed the bags in the enclosures.

Covering Enclosures with Sheets

Human caretakers cut holes in the sheets and cover the enclosures with sheets and secure the edges. Enrichment objects could be placed on top of the sheets near the holes so that the chimpanzees could pull the items through the holes in the sheets.

Clothes Time

Human caretakers placed a large selection of clothing inside of the chimpanzees' enclosure. The chimpanzees at CHCI sometimes wore the clothing, nested with it and/or used it in play interactions such as tug-of-war and peek-a-boo.

Color Day

On color days all the enrichment provided to the chimpanzees was only one color .

Slumber Party Day

Birthday and Holiday Celebrations

CHCI celebrated holidays and each chimpanzee's birthday. The windows were decorated for the holidays, crepe paper and balloons are hung up, and the chimpanzees received wrapped presents and special food treats.